Mop-holder.



A. P. SLAG'K.

MOP HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE zz, 1910.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

nRRls FrrsR ALEXANDERVP. SLACK, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOP-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed June 22, 1910. Serial No. 568,387.

f citizen of the United States, residing at lVorcester, in the county of lVoi-eester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mop- Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for holding mops, and the object of the invention primarily is to provide a very simple, effective, and cheaply made device which is adapted to grip a mop or mass of fibrous cleaning material, and which is adapted to either serve for a handle itself, or to be easily attached to a wooden handle so that the mop may be used for washing windows or like purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mop holder composed of a plurality of coils of wire, so arranged that the wire coils which form the socket of the mop holder can not spread in practical service, the coils being locked in their closed position and prevented from spreading by interengaging the wires at the end of the coil with each other, said wires being then twisted and prolonged to form resilient mop-engaging fingers.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved mop holder. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof showing the peculiar manner in which the wire strands are twisted. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a coil of wire forming the socket of my holder previous to the end strands being intertwisted.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, 2 and 3 designate two parallel wires which are coiled around any suitable mandrel to form the spiral coil 4. In the manufacture of my device lengths of wire are taken and this coil et is formed in the middle of the lengths. After the coil 4c is formed, the two wires will project out at each end of the coil as at 2 and 3, and 2b and 3b. The wires 2" and 3b are bent upward slightly above the circumference of the coil, and then bent at right angles thereto. The wires 221 and 3a are bent over upon the face of the coil as at 5, and then intertwisted with the angularly bent portion of the wires 2b and 3b as at 6. It will be seen that there will be four intertwisted wires in the section 6. The four wires 2a and 3, 2b and 3 are intertwisted for a certain relatively short distance, and then the wires are slightly bowed and extended approximately parallel to form the fingers 7, these fingers being resilient and normally held apart from each other by the resilience of the metal. Surrounding the fingers 7 is a ring 8 composed of a coil of wire, or in any other suitable manner. It will be seen that I have thus provided a holder having resilient spring fingers, the base of the holder being provided with a socket formed of a spiral coil of wire so that the interior of the socket will be practically screw threaded, and that thus this socket may be easily placed upon and held firmly in position on the end of a wooden handle 9, this end being slightly tapered for insertion within the socket. The spring fingers are adapted to engage a mop cloth 10, or any mass of fibrous material, and to be forced into engagement with the mop cloth by means of the ring S. It is to be noted that the peculiar construction of this mop holder provides for a very rigid locking of the wires of the coil 4 into a compact and rigid relation, the wires forming the coil being prevented from spreading by reason of the fact that the wires at one end of the coil are turned sharply upon the face of the coil, carried across said face and then engaged with the wires extending from the other end of the coil, and that once these wires are twisted as at 6, it will be impossible for the coil 4 to spread, the coil thus being practically a rigid sleeve or socket. Furthermore, it will be seen that by my construction I succeed in securing four mop-gripping fingers with only two wires, and further it will be noted that the twisted portion 6 acts to give great rigidity to the mop holder so that it will not bend in practical use.

My invention is very simple, thoroughly effective in use, and can be used for a large variety of purposes. It is designed to be used for holding a mop or cloth for washing paint or woodwork, for dry mopping or dusting ete. It may be used either upon a handle as when washing Windows, or the socket may be held in the hand as when cleaning stoves or milk bottles, preserve jars, etc. By forming the socket with screw threads, it may be easily forced upon a stick forming a handle of the device, or as easily removed, and while on this stick will be held firmly in position.

While I have shown my invention as apfrom the other end of the coil7 the said wires being then bowed and outwardly spread away from each other to form gripping ngers, and means mounted on the lingers for l5 Causing the fingers to close against an object.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

plied to holding` mops, I do not wish to be limited to this as it is obvious that it might be used for a variety of purposes where it is desired to provide an instrument i having spring dingers or extensions adapted to be closed on an object.

Vhat I claim is:

A holder, comprising,l a coil made up or a plurality of parallel wires, the wires at one end of the coil being` bent over upon the face of the coil Vand intertwisted with the wires ALEXANDER P. SLACK. Witnesses FRED M. Sinon, O. M. LAWRENCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each7 by addressing the Commissioner o'f Patents, Washington, D. C. 

